Violence fact of life: Oz on assaults on Indians

Melbourne, May 4: Assuring the safety of Indians in the country, Australian trade minister Simon Crean on Tuesday, May 4 said that the violence was a 'fact of life' in all countries.

"We welcome Indian students who come to Australia in huge numbers. Australia is not a racist country. We are offering quality education," Crean said told reporters on the sidelines of a CII function.

Asked about the assaults on Indians, Crean said that violence was fact of life and that appropriate steps were being taken for their safety.

"Violence is a fact of life in all countries. Let's be honest about that. What we have to do is to ensure that we mitigate that violence and take appropriate steps and that we are doing," he said.

Briefing about the safety measures adopted by the authorities, Crean said that additional policemen have been positioned in the most vulnerable areas.

"The government has deployed additional police at the places where these incidents are occurring and are also offering helplines and assistance to students in campuses and on-line," he said

"What has happened over the last nine months is the identification and the circumstances surrounding and number of cases involving Indian students in particular", he added.

Over 100 Indian students have been attacked in Australia in the recent past, the most fatal one being the brutal stabbing of 21-year-old Nitin Garg on Jan 2, 2010.

Alarmed by the upsurge in attacks, the Ministry of External Affairs issued an advisory to the Indian students in Australia, asking them not to travel at night.

OneIndia News